Wallpaper Woes

We had a crazy winter storm earlier this week, over 10 inches of snow, schools closed and most people were lucky enough to stay home from work. Snowed in with no way out- except for perhaps by dog sled (my little Westie would disappear in the snow), I was inspired to take a look around my home and see what I should put next on my to-do list. All this extra time on my hands was driving my crazy, so I go out some pen & paper and got to work.



First on the list- my master bedroom. It is ridiculous that I have not done anything with it. The walls are pink- like cotton candy pink, and it has this hideous pink/green/orange wallpaper border that I've been dying to get rid of.



Another easy one- the office. This bedroom/office also has some soon, moon, & stars decals and some more celestial wallpaper border.



Kitchen- this is not going to be pretty. Whoever owned this house before decided that thick, floral wallpaper was in. It looks pretty expensive too, vinyl type and they decided even to do a matching window covering. *shudders*



And finally- the bathroom. Some different vinyl style wallpaper that has just go to go, but it's a little more neutral so at least I don't freak out going in there.





I have come up with some "budget design" ideas for each room, trying to keep costs minimal. First thing is first, I knew I had to deal with all of this hideous wallpaper. Since I was snowed in, I tried googling some ideas for wallpaper removal and put together a home-made concoction of warm water, fabric softener, & vinegar. I took a little knife for scoring, made a few slashes to do a test spot, and then used a sponge to saturate the wallpaper border in my bedroom- just a test spot.



Did not work. I was quite frustrated and used the rest of the afternoon to shovel some more snow.



Yesterday, I decided I was going to do this right and try to rent a steamer. Apparently hardware stores don't do this anymore (they said it wasn't cost effective) and I had to compromise. I bought some Dif, along with the official "paper tiger" and scraper. I was a little tired yesterday evening and tried to do another test spot but it still wasn't coming off like it should.







Today, after I show a few houses and go to a client's baby shower, I'm going to spend a little one and one time with my walls. Hopefully I'll come up with a solution that I can share. I did take some pictures as well, so maybe soon I can post some "before & after" shots. I don't want it to come to this.... but if I get desperate, I may have to *gasp* hire someone. Not ready to throw in the towel yet though.

Year of the Ox!

Happy Lunar New Year! 2009 is the year of the water buffalo, or the ox. My family has always celebrated both new years, which is lucky for me. Personally, I think January 1st is too soon after the holiday season to be expected to get organized and ready for the new year. One of the things to do in getting ready for Chinese/Lunar New Year is to clean your house. You can sweep away all of the bad luck from the previous year- this is how I spent most of my evening yesterday (still need to mop the kitchen floor though).

I also celebrated by going to my parent's house to eat this traditional Korean rice cake soup and on Saturday, I went to Eli Lilly's Chinese Culture Network's celebration. That was pretty entertaining- lots of dancing, music, skits, even the Eli Lilly executies got up and practiced their Mandarin and their calligraphy to amuse us!


The Ox symbolizes hard work and patience- two things we will definitely need considering the economy we have been experiencing recently. This year it is important to think of the things that really matter- family, health, and home! If we can all just keep the ideals of this animal in mind, we should all hopefully find ourselves more successful and peaceful in the year to come.

Fishers- City or Town?

The City of Fishers? It very well could be.

Citizens from Fishers have been discussing becoming a city again. In 1998, a ballot referendum was posed to the voters of Fishers who ultimately decided to retain their identity as a town. Since then, Fisher’s population has grown and with it, so has support of becoming a city. A meeting held at the Fishers Library by CityYes, a political action committee with the objective of making Fishers a city, saw more than 30 residents show up to hear their argument. The committee also earned seven new volunteers and 15 more signatures on their petition to get the issue on a ballot. Proponents argue that with a population over 70,000, residents need an appropriate sized and responsive government to respond to their need. Opponents worry about the financial impact these changes would have on their taxes and services. They also find satisfaction in the current government. One thing is clear, everyone interested wants more information. The local Chamber of Commerce has promised to form a study committee which would make a recommendation one way or the other. In the meantime, CityYes is actively seeking signatures for their petition. They currently have almost 800 signatures, or roughly half the amount needed to hold a special election to decide if the state’s eighth largest community should be a city or a town.

(Published by the Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of Realtors)

Hot or Not?

I wish everyone a Happy New Year and hope we all have a happy, healthy, & prosperous 2009! I love starting a new year because it gives us a fresh slate so we can start over and rejuvenate our mind and body. Of course, these winter months are also a good time for rejuvenating your home, giving it a fresh new look!

MSN Real Estate put out this article- What's hot and what's not for your home in 2009.

There are some really neat decorating tips that I thought were pretty innovative (well at least for us in the Midwest) and so I wanted to share them with you.

What's Hot~

• Mismatched Dining Room Chairs


• The Color Gray- or grey, which I prefer :)


• Retro Appliances


• Stylish Garage Doors


• Coral Colors (especially with plums and greys)


• "Lighter" and less bulky furniture


• Luxurious "Green" fabrics and furniture (this also includes recycling or using vintage and antique pieces)


• Master Bedroom as your private sanctuary- using plush fabrics, rich quality pieces, and more to give you that hotel feel
  
• Electic- bringing together different styles and pieces (this may require some practice)

What's Not~

• Track Lighting


• The Muppet Sofa - "Here's an easy test: Stand in front of your sofa. Imagine it has two basketball-sized googly eyes and a tuft of green spiky hair between them. If it looks like it could teach your children their ABCs, it's a Muppet sofa. Get rid of it."


• The Fixer Upper- often these banked owned "deals" are more trouble than they are worth! It's easier to have it all in your payment instead of putting out cash to buy more stuff to fix up the house.


• Indoor/Outdoor Carpeting- Those rugs that people put outside on their patios. Eww, just think of the mildew!
  
  

Hmm.... I may be guilty of that Muppet Sofa (I have a cream colored leather set that I would love to upgrade one day). But most importantly, you want your home to be a place of refuge and a reflection of you and your family. And you don't have to go over the top and spend like crazy to do it. Also, try to just do one room at a time or it will seem overwhelming and you won't ever get to anything (like my pink master bedroom with plaid wallpaper border trim... I need to get started on that).